AMERICAN PIGEON

American Pigeon publishes well-written, informed commentary about American national politics and culture from a politically conservative perspective. In order to raise the chances of your submission being accepted, we strongly recommend you read content already published on our website to get a good idea of the style and tone of voice we are looking for. 

Submission Instructions

Article drafts MUST be submitted either as a Google Doc or a Microsoft Word document by email to Lukelattanzi@americanpigeon.org. Please do not paste your entire draft in the email itself. Please make sure the subject line of your email pertains to your submission. We recommend you put: “SUBMISSION: [Proposed title of op-ed here].” A healthy opinion piece should be at least 750 words. Occasionally, should the subject warrant it, we will publish essays, which can span up to 3,000 words.

Article drafts must be written in either 12-point Times New Roman font or 11-point Arial font, single-spaced. Please do not get creative with your fonts and attempt to make it look fancy. It’s just a draft, and we need to be able to read the body copy properly. Please also remember to not indent your paragraphs, this is not a college essay. We also do not use footnotes for citing sources, so please do not add them to your submission. We understand this may be your go-to method of citing sources, but for the sake of online opinionated journalism, please hyperlink any/all relevant sources onto the words themselves.

It is always good to refer to Associated Press (AP) style when writing. We do differ from AP in some instances, but those differences will be hashed out in the editing process. When in doubt, refer to the AP style guidelines. We strongly recommend you purchase the most up-to-date AP Stylebook (we personally recommend the online version, because you can search up the entries individually to avoid flipping through pages!).

For Pitches

A pitch is simply a brief description of what your piece is going to be about. If you do not have a draft written, but would like to pitch us about an idea you have, you can send your pitch via email to the address mentioned above. Please set your subject line to: “PITCH: [Your idea here].” While a pitch is not the same thing as a draft, please ensure that you have a well-developed thesis. If we reply to your email, it usually means we are interested. If this happens, please be prepared to answer questions about your idea in detail. This is not to grill you, but to get a good idea of what you’re bringing to the table so that the editors are best prepared to edit your draft once you write one. 

Other Tips for Submissions

• Be open to collaboration. If we decide to take up your piece, please understand that editing is part of the process. As editors, we want to make sure your piece is the best it can possibly be so your voice shines through. This means being able to accept changes that will inevitably be made to your piece. Being critiqued is part of being a writer. 
• Substantiate. Regardless of topic or section, we believe in substantiated arguments, so be sure to cite your claims. While we will review and revise submissions, you bear the primary responsibility for checking the accuracy of your claims.
• Remember who you’re submitting to. American Pigeon is a digital magazine fostering a conservative perspective on American political and intellectual life. This doesn’t mean we have to agree with everything you say, but we do at least have to agree that our readers are going to want to read what you’ve written. In other words, if you are of a politically left-wing or liberal persuasion, we wish you luck submitting elsewhere.
• When writing, let the reader know what your piece is about right away. A common problem we see in many submissions is the tendency to state the thesis at the very end of the draft as opposed to stating it at the beginning. A good op-ed will always be better when the reader is able to understand what you’re talking about from the beginning. This is especially important in the digital age, where grabbing the reader’s attention is especially challenging.

No duplicates. Upon submission, you affirm that your piece has not been submitted or published in any other publication.

Authenticity. Upon submission, you affirm that what you have written is your own work, and that you have given credit to any sources that you are quoting or drawing from. Our editors will check for plagiarism, but the task of doing due diligence ultimately falls to you. NOTE: Plagiarism is automatic grounds for draft rejection, as well as any and all future drafts/pitches you may submit. Do NOT plagiarize!

No retractions. By agreeing to have your piece published, you are forfeiting certain creative rights that allow us make any and all editorial/creative decisions deemed necessary by American Pigeon as it relates to your submission. Publishing a piece with us and then regretting it later is not sufficient grounds for a retraction.